War Clouds

The BBC reports: North Korea has claimed that the missile it tested on Sunday was a new type of rocket capable of carrying a large nuclear warhead. The missile, launched at a steep angle, reached an altitude of 2,000km (1,242 miles) and traveled about 700km, landing in the sea west of Japan. North Korea said on Monday it was a …

The Hill reports: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said early Sunday that he doesn’t think President Trump is planning a preemptive strike against North Korea. “I don’t think so, Jake,” McCain told host Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I think that we have to consider that option as the very last option. And for a number of reasons …

Reuters reports: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday a major conflict with North Korea is possible in the standoff over its nuclear and missile programs, but he would prefer a diplomatic outcome to the dispute. “There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea. Absolutely,” Trump told Reuters in an Oval …

NBC News reports: Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, suggested the White House might consider military retaliation if North Korea’s leader fails to stand down from its aggressive military posture. “We are not going to do anything unless he gives us a reason to do something, so our goal is not to start a fight,” she said …

Politico reports: The North Korean government, via a state-run newspaper, warned of a “super-mighty preemptive strike” against the U.S. that would reduce both its military forces in South Korea and the American mainland “to ashes,” according to a Reuters report published Thursday. “In the case of our super-mighty preemptive strike being launched, it will completely and immediately wipe out not …

The Telegraph reports: Mike Pence, the US vice president, fired another clear shot across North Korea’s bow on Wednesday, warning that Washington’s “shield stands guard and sword stands ready”. Speaking to more than 2,500 US and Japanese military personnel on the flight deck of the USS Ronald Reagan as it was moored in the US naval base at Yokosuka, 50 …

The BBC reports: North Korea will continue to test missiles despite international condemnation and increasing military tensions with the US, a senior official has told the BBC in Pyongyang. “We’ll be conducting more missile tests on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis,” Vice Foreign Minister Han Song-Ryol told the BBC’s John Sudworth. He said that an “all out war” would …

Reuters reports: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence put North Korea on notice on Monday, warning that recent U.S. strikes in Syria and Afghanistan showed that the resolve of President Donald Trump should not be tested. Pence and South Korean acting president Hwang Kyo-ahn, speaking a day after a failed missile test by the North and two days after a huge …

The New York Times reports: China warned on Friday that tensions on the Korean Peninsula could spin out of control, as North Korea said it could test a nuclear weapon at any time and an American naval group neared the peninsula in a show of resolve. “The United States and South Korea and North Korea are engaging in tit for …

CNN reports: Amid increasing tension with North Korea, Vice President Mike Pence will travel to South Korea Saturday, on a scheduled trip as part of his first official visit to the Asia-Pacific region. The trip comes at a critical moment for the Trump administration and US allies, after escalated posturing from North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and growing concerns …

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump’s tweets are adding fuel to a “vicious cycle” of tensions on the Korean Peninsula, North Korea’s vice foreign minister told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview Friday. The official added that if the U.S. shows any sign of “reckless” military aggression, Pyongyang is ready to launch a pre-emptive strike of its own. …

NBC News reports: The U.S. is prepared to launch a preemptive strike with conventional weapons against North Korea should officials become convinced that North Korea is about to follow through with a nuclear weapons test, multiple senior U.S. intelligence officials told NBC News. North Korea has warned that a “big event” is near, and U.S. officials say signs point to …

Reuters reports: North Korean state media on Tuesday warned of a nuclear attack on the United States at any sign of a U.S. pre-emptive strike as a U.S. Navy strike group led by a nuclear-powered aircraft steamed towards the western Pacific. Tension has escalated sharply on the Korean peninsula with talk of military action by the United States gaining traction …

NASDAQ.com reports: The benchmark averages have surrendered earlier gains on news that China has deployed 150,000 troops to the North Korean border, and the U.S. is considering further sanctions against Russia. The reports caused the S&P 500 to falter at trendline resistance at 2,370 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average to fall back to support at the 50-day moving average. …

Politico reports: Syrian President Bashar Assad is telling President Donald Trump “F you” by still flying military aircraft from the base the United States tomahawk missiles struck on Thursday, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday morning. Following reports of a chemical attack in Syria, the U.S. military bombed a regime airbase in Homs on Thursday. Since the bombing, Syrian …

The Hill reports: National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster on Sunday said defended the decision for a Carrier strike group to head toward the Korean Peninsula. “It’s prudent to do it, isn’t it?” McMaster said on “Fox News Sunday.” “North Korea has been engaged in a pattern of provocative behavior. This is a rogue regime that is now a nuclear capable …

NBC News reports: North Korea has vowed to bolster its defenses to protect itself against airstrikes like the ones President Donald Trump ordered against an air base in Syria. The North called the airstrikes “absolutely unpardonable” and said they prove its nuclear weapons are justified to protect the country against Washington’s “evermore reckless moves for a war.” The comments were …